Developments in smaller and more powerful motors have created a variety of motor assisted devices including skateboards, surfboards, kayaks and other human movement devices. However, these devices are controlled by throttle mechanisms that require participant interaction and can undermine the participant experience.
Consider the act of surfing. The activity of surfing involves the participant or surfer lying face down on a board and paddling out past the area where the majority of waves are breaking. The surfer then typically waits until an appropriate wave begins to approach. At this junction, the surfer aligns the board toward the shore as the wave begins to crest in an effort to “catch” the wave. If the surfer is successful in catching the wave, the surfer is pushed by the wave toward the shore and is able to perform a variety of maneuvers on the wave. The process is typically repeated multiple times over a surf session.
Although the above process sounds moderately easy, the process can be exceptionally tiring because paddling out through the wave is fatiguing. The process of catching the wave is also demanding, as the surfer must get the board moving prior to the wave cresting; otherwise, the surfer will be unsuccessful in catching the wave. For the average person, the padding difficulties and fatigue associated with the process are major barriers to enjoying the sport of surfing and limit the duration most people can surf. Although a motor assisted surfboard has been developed, the user experience remains sub-optimal due to the need to start and stop motor assist by punching buttons on a wrist based control device.